Russia escalates strikes on Odesa amid power cuts and maritime threats
Russia has intensified its strikes on the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa, leading to widespread power outages and endangering key maritime infrastructure.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba described these attacks as systematic, suggesting that the focus of the war may be shifting toward Odesa. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the attacks aim to block Ukraine's access to maritime logistics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to sever Ukraine's access to the sea in retaliation for drone attacks on Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet' in the Black Sea. This 'shadow fleet' consists of hundreds of tankers used by Russia to bypass Western sanctions imposed since its full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Recent strikes on Sunday night cut electricity to approximately 120,000 people and caused a fire at a major port, destroying dozens of containers filled with flour and vegetable oil. Previously, a ballistic missile strike on the Pivdenniy port east of Odesa resulted in eight deaths and at least thirty injuries.
Earlier in the week, an attack killed a woman traveling in a car with her three children and temporarily severed Odesa region's only bridge connecting Ukraine and Moldova.
Following the weekend dismissal of Dmytro Karpenko, President Zelensky indicated that a new commander of the region's air force would be appointed soon.
